Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Stencil Painting on Sheers




The following statement may sound slightly petty... given all that us military spouses do, flex, bend, adjust to... but one of the more smaller scale frustrating  aspects of being a military spouse is the continual change of curtains.  Curtains that matched one room, are too short, too long for the next house, etc... 1500 miles away.  I found some cheap sheer curtains ($3 for two panels) off of a "classifieds" trading group where we are currently based.  I wanted something for our downstairs bathroom and didn't want to spend $60 on curtains just so that I can enjoy them for the next 14 months.  I decided to use a doily to stencil Grecian looking circles on it.  A similar pattern caught my eye during a recent trip to World Market.  I got the idea of using a doily as a stencil from a child craft blog post where you use heart shaped doilies to stencil on shirts for Valentine's Day.

--- so here it is .... on with the instructions...

Monday, April 30, 2012

Woodland Baby Shower


Here are some pics from the Woodland Baby Shower.  It was a "girl color scheme" woodland theme baby shower with a served brunch.


I used the sewing crepe paper rolls together method to make ruffled crepe paper.  It was a lot of fun and turned out well.  The "baby" banner got lost behind the gifts...


Sunday, April 22, 2012

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Baseball Wreath Another Version


One of my good friends recreated my baseball wreath <--- you can find the tutorial here.

Funny thing is that she saw it on Pinterest.  Funny how Pinterest works that way... I was glad to have inspired her along with so many others!

Her version of the wreath has 14 brand new baseball-practice balls.  She said the drilling was super easy.  She purchased a pack from Play It Again Sports ($20) and just rotated the various logos to the back.  She also threaded the baseballs in a pattern.  I thought it turned out great!  She has plans for some blue/orange ribbon to support our Tigers!


Thursday, April 19, 2012

Baby Banners



One of the greatest joys in life is when you are expecting --  probably the second greatest shared joy is witnessing and being a part of the anticipation in others as they wait out their own days for pending motherhood.  I am so fortunate to have a cousin and a good friend that are "in waiting" and have both decided to decorate their nurseries in "Woodland" themes.  One is expecting a boy and one a girl.  I created the banners for their respective baby showers.

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Paper Topiaries




I really like the look of topiaries.  They add a nice touch of elegance and whimsy to any table/party decor.  They can be a simple centerpiece for a wedding and make a nice statement depending on how crazy you get with the glitter, the base that is used would make it appear more formal.  I created the topiaries in this tutorial for a Woodland themed baby shower.    

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Birds, Ducks... Chickens


I made these little guys based on the blog over at  Myrtle and Eunice

As soon as I saw these, I knew I needed to make them but as birds for a Woodlands baby shower.  They are going to look "sew" cute sitting and hanging out underneath my tree topiaries.

Myrtle and Eunice created an awesome easy to follow tutorial!

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Opening Day Wreath

"We're all behind our baseball team... Go Get em' Detroit Tigers... Go get em' Tigers!"






I bet the women of 1968 wished they had this baseball wreath to hang up on their door! 

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Pizza Bagels

So yum and not the frozen kind in the box

Ingredients:

  • 1 jar of spaghetti sauce or your favorite pizza sauce
  • 2 cups of shredded mozzarella
  • 5 bagels
  • toppings of choice








Thursday, March 1, 2012

Re-purposed Jean Quilt

So this isn't finished yet but I feel like I need to post something with an update.  This week has been pretty hectic.  Keith and I are celebrating our 10th Anniversary tomorrow and we are going to London to celebrate.  I have been trying to get things squared away at work, the house clean for Grammy so that she won't suffocate in dog hair when she gets here.  I finished the girls laundry to hopefully eliminate any wardrobe related tantrums during our week away.  The list of "to-dos" gets longer by the moment, locate passport, rain boots, buy an umbrella and so on...

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Veggie Calzone

What is better than veggie pizza???  a veggie Calzone... or maybe not better but equally yummy on the taste buds.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Zip tie your chandelier

Hosting a party is always fun and sometimes you need to move the table to allow room for more guests but that pesky chandelier .... gah.... that hurts when you bang your head and sometimes creates an awkward space.  You know you want it higher  but goodness are you really going to break out the pliers and crank open the chain links?  Give it a zip with a zip tie.  Don't have a zip tie?  You could also use a garbage bag twist-tie.



Friday, February 24, 2012

St. Patty Day Inspired Wreath

I wanted to make a St. Patty's day wreath but wanted something that could possibly go into spring.  I love the natural look of the "haystack" wreath and I thought it would look great with the shredded fabric flowers that I saw on this tutorial at BCheniful 's Blog.

Click on the READ MORE>>> to see how I made the fabric flowers and  put this together

.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Reuse Wine Corks for Food Markers

Don't have enough corks to make a beautiful wreath? 
Slice the tip and use them for food markers at a party or table assignments at a dinner party.  

I decided to use wine corks to display the "food labels" for the cheese plate and appetizers at a wine tasting.                 

What do you need for this project???  Corks, stock paper, fancy writing skills and a knife!

Here is some info on making your own labels and utilizing those corks that are laying around.  Just click here...

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Leaky Pitchers - Quick Tip Saturday

I think the pictures say it all!  If you have one of the rustic looking pitchers that leak everywhere, grab a plastic tumbler, fill with water and your beautiful fresh cut arrangements... these "antiqued" pitchers aren't for dry flowers anymore!

Friday, February 17, 2012

Menu Sign

I finally made it... after sitting on the project for 6 months because of moves, settling and other projects, I finally made the menu sign.  I got the inspiration to make one of these after reading A Content Housewife's Blog on how she decided to make a dry-erase board after an impasse with her husband on a chalkboard painted wall.   I thought it was a great idea!!!  I wanted something that was mobile, could be packed up and doesn't have to be painted over during the next 10 years while we move for Keith's career in the military.





Tuesday, February 14, 2012

I love you because sign...

Yes... I know this is part of the Pinterest bandwagon... but I thought it was so sweet and just well... rather perfect for my Keith.  Sometimes he needs a confidence boost, a love you because...


Sunday, February 12, 2012

Veggie Roast

Sunday Supper -
One of my favorite meals growing up was a pot roast supper on Sunday.  It isn't that I miss the Roast part of the dish... I really really liked roasted potatoes and carrots in a bouillon.  Becoming a vegetarian a gazillion years ago, I missed those little vegetable guys that came from pot roast and were awesome reheated with ketchup.  I decided to try making a veg-friend version of the dish by substituting roast with Quorn Ck'n Cutlets and using vegetable broth as the much needed liquid to steam the veggies.



Saturday, February 11, 2012

Tea Towels and Table Decorations

Quick Tip Saturday!    Cute little tea-towels that you find at craft stores, dollar stores during the holiday season can quickly become a cute table anchor instead of purchasing an expensive table runner 



Friday, February 10, 2012

Dollhouse Unveiled

Hopefully, you have enjoyed following the progress of the dollhouse made out of an old entertainment center. In case you are visiting my blog for the first time and want to see how the various pieces of the house were made, feel free to click on the embedded links that I have provided within the key words and it will take you to that specific blog entry in a new window.  Happy Reading!



Pin It


Thursday, February 9, 2012

Pinterest gets Miniatured

I love Pinterest!  Who doesn't?  Even those who hop on once and don't see the benefit usually come around when it is time to plan a party, decorate for a holiday and the list goes on...




Dollhouse Ottoman

I created an ottoman for the dollhouse.  Before I begin, let me just say this was one of those projects where half way through it, you totally think of a much better way to go about it and end up with something different than you think... SO... that in mind.  I am going to tell you what I did... but I think you should not walk in my original shoes... follow alternate suggestions.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

7 Ways to Love Wacky Paper

BOLD... WACKY... COLORFUL... BRIGHT... LOUD... how many terms are there to politely describe the ugly paper hanging out in your craft area.  What can you do with all of the wacky scrap book paper that comes in the multi-pack sets?  I present to you my 7 Ways to Love Wacky Paper

You can't beat 250 pages for $19.99 and when it goes on sale or on clearance ... It is like mantra from the heavens...  250 pages for $7.57.. gotta buy it... but lingering, hidden (sometimes not so well ) among those stacks of beauty are crazy patterned papers.



Every mega-pack of scrapbook paper has them...













Monday, February 6, 2012

Re-purposing Old Shirts

As mentioned in the couch post, old clothing that is too used for a proper donation to goodwill can be re-used for other projects.  Think green before you send too small, too worn clothing into the garbage can.

Doll Couch - Adventures in Crafting

There is a reason why the description of this blog is .." an adventure in crafting".. versus "expert advice in crafting."

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Children's Art Hanger


I made something like this for my two daughter's but stenciled their names on some years ago of which was before the age of the Cricut, personal cutter system.  With the use of a Cricut, you can get crazy and make all types of designs and not have to worry about the splattering of paint, smudging paint lines or making a mistake that you need to figure out how to cover.

Dollhouse Bathroom Sink

I bought this cute bathroom tub set from Target - it is part of the "Our Generation" collection- retails for about $20.   It came with a bunch of little pieces that will likely get lost as soon as I move the house into the play room.  I decided to use the colors on the tub as a basis for the patterns on the bathroom walls, color scheme.  Although, you can't tell well, the tub is really a lighter version of the Boysenberry house color and looks great against an orange back drop of which was one of the colors on the bins that I am using as the overall color pallet for the house.   

The set came with a toothbrush and toothpaste but where were Molly and Julie going to brush their teeth at?  

So I set off to make a bathroom vanity.  I had a couple of failed attempts....  :/

I tried to construct one out of repurposed wood with moving cabinet doors but it was a little (ok a lot ) wonky and too short.  That led to trying to have the the sink just hover in the corner and it was too strange and too small.  

I came up with this.  Techinically, it is still a hovering vanity but much larger with "storage curtains."  This same vanity could be easily created as a stand alone vanity by adding four additional 1x1 boarding cut to size for table legs.
Supply List: 
  • 8" piece of 1x3
  • 4 pieces of 1x1 cut at 8.5" (for stand alone vanity)
  • craft board cut or balsam wood board 8.5"x4"
  • drill or nail setter
  • 6 small screws
  • 4 tack nails
  • Two pieces of 3/8x1.5 craft board (found at Lowes) cut at 3.25"
  • One piece of 3/8x1.5 craft board (found at Lowes) cut at 7.25" 
  • small hacksaw
  • clothing wall hook (this becomes the faucet upside down)
  • 2 1/8" Cup Pull (found at Lowes in the door handle area..LOL) this becomes the actual sink
  • fabric of your choice 7"x40" 
  • Paint in a satin finish or craft paint and clear coat
  • measuring tape/ruler
  • wood glue
  • hot glue gun
  • clamp 
  • sander, sandpaper
  • two 1" wood screws


Creating the counter top.  
In order to repurpose some wood from the failed vanity attempt, I used two pieces of wood that when put together were the aproximate size of a 1x3 that I am suggesting you use.  The thin craft board was glued and tacked onto it.  This created a strong platform and a smooth counter top surface for the sink area.

I painted the newly built counter top the matching boysenberry.
While I waited for the paint to dry, I re-installed the clothing hook, upside down on the side wall of the bathroom.  If you are making a stand alone sink, you could  add an additional pieces of craft board to the counter top and create a splashboard to hang the "faucet" on.  I also hung a small cup hook on the other side of the bathroom for the dolls to hang their bathrobes on.




________________________________________________
Making the storage covers.  I chose a striped fabric that highlighted the colors found in the house and on the bathtub.  You will need a piece of fabric that is 7" wide and a minimum of 40" long so that you can create four 10" panels that are 4" wide.  If you are making a stand alone vanity, you may want to consider making an additional panel for the back side of the vanity or using another craft board to close up the back.




I measured, prepped and using my Serger cut 4 panels that were 10x4"








The end result was four panels that were ready to be installed.   Using my trust glue gun, I applied glue and placed two panels on the front and a panel on each side.  Place these half way down the underside board so that when you install the outside wood panels the fabric and glue won't be in the way of screws/drill holes.












Installing the outer wood panels

Grab the hacksaw, drill with a tiny drill bit, 1.5"x3/8"x2' craft board and began plans to make the wood panels.  

I measured and cut the wood.  Using the small hand saw, I cut the craft wood at the proper length for each panel.  Pre-drilled the screw holes to ease placement.
At this point my camera died and I had to switch to taking pictures with my phone so I apologize for the quality.




After creating the drill holes, place your tiny screws in each hole and screw them in.  I put 2 screws even spaced on each side on the upper half of the supporting board.  After the screws were in place and everything secured, I lightly sanded the edges to remove any potential splinters.  I painted the newly built lower outside panel to match the counter top.  I thought about painting it pink but decided to play it safe with the boysenberry
After the paint dried, I set out to complete the final installation of the newly built vanity.  I drilled two starter holes in the counter, partially screwed in the two large wood screws and called my husband for help.. LOL... I just didn't have the hand strength to screw it in to the wood framing of the dollhouse.





After it was in place, I used the hot glue to secure the cap pull.  I was really pleased with the outcome of this design on the fly vanity!




Now the bathroom is complete!